3of3Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will make his second career NFL start, and it happens to come against Bill Belichick and his vaunted New England defense. Watson can expect to see a lot of different coverages and disguises thrown his way.﻿Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

Although that might sound like it's straight out of a James Bond movie, it's all about the element of confusion the New England Patriots' defense will try to create Sunday against Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson at Gillette Stadium.

Under coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have never lost to a rookie quarterback at home in eight matchups.

In their quest to maintain that streak, the Patriots will do everything they can to make Watson doubt what he's seeing.

They'll shift constantly before the snap to make it difficult for the 22-year-old to read their personnel and schemes.

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Bill Belichick vs. rookie QBs

Year Opt. QB Comp.-Att. Yds TD Int. Rating Result

2001 at CAR Chris Weinke 15-36 144 0 3 18.8 W, 38-6

2002 at DET Joey Harrington 22-44 210 0 3 35.2 W, 20-12

2003 vs. JAC Byron Leftwich 21-40 228 1 2 63.3 W, 27-13

2004 at PIT Ben Roethlisberger 18-24 196 2 0 126.4 L, 34-20

2004 at CLE Luke McCown 20-34 277 2 2 80.1 W, 42-15

2006 at TEN Vince Young 15-36 227 1 2 39.3 W, 40-23

2007 vs. BUF Trent Edwards 10-20 97 0 1 43.1 W, 38-7

2009 at NYJ Mark Sanchez 14-22 163 1 0 101.1 L, 16-9

2008 vs. NYJ Mark Sanchez 8-21 136 1 4 37.1 W, 31-14

2009 at CLE Colt McCoy 14-19 174 0 0 101.6 L, 34-14

2012 at SEA Russell Wilson 16-27 293 3 0 133.7 L, 24-23

2012 vs. IND Andrew Luck 27-50 334 2 3 127.2 W, 59-24

2012 at MIA Ryan Tannehill 13-29 186 0 0 78.4 W, 23-16

2012 vs. MIA Ryan Tannehill 20-35 235 0 1 65.8 W, 28-0

2013 at BUF EJ Manuel 18-27 150 2 0 76.4 W, 23-21

2013 vs. NYJ Geno Smith 15-35 214 0 3 27.6 W, 13-10

2013 at NYJ Geno Smith 17-33 233 1 1 71.9 L, 30-27

2014 vs. OAK Derek Carr 21-34 174 0 1 62.2 W, 16-9

2015 vs. TEN Marcus Mariota* 3-6 32 0 0 66.6 W, 33-16

2015 at CLE Cody Kessler 5-8 62 1 0 126.0 W, 33-13

2016 vs. LAR Jared Goff 14-32 161 1 2 43.9 W, 26-10

*-injured in first quarter and didn't return.

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They might designate one player as a spy to shadow Watson wherever he goes to try to counteract his mobility.

And there will be plenty of blitzing, line stunts and other gambits intended to transform a confident, poised young man into a hesitant, nervous wreck in his second NFL start.

Watson knows the Patriots will attempt to overwhelm him. He's heard all about how smart the Patriots are, especially Belichick, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who has a degree in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and veteran free safety Devin McCourty.

"Throw all types of things at me," Watson said when asked what he anticipates the Patriots' defense will do against him. "Different coverages, different schemes, different looks and not try to stay in a base look where we can kind of know what they're doing. That's every team, not just the Patriots, that I play against because I'm young.

"I'm new to the league. I'm a rookie. There's a lot that I have to see and a lot that I have to experience. I'll take it one snap at a time and take the opportunity as it comes and experience it."

It's an admirable, enlightened attitude for the first-round draft pick from Clemson. Watson will need it as the second-youngest starting quarterback to face Belichick as a head coach. In 1993, Belichick was coaching the Cleveland Browns when they played against then-21-year-old Patriots rookie quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

It's not as if no rookie quarterback has defeated one of Belichick's New England squads.

Belichick is 15-5 against rookie quarterbacks since taking over the Patriots. All five of those wins were on the road, though, and were earned by the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez in 2009, the Browns' Colt McCoy in 2010, the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson in 2012 and the Jets' Geno Smith in 2013.

Going back to 1994, the Patriots have more home victories, including playoff games, than any other NFL team with 161.

"I would tell you that it's hard for any quarterback," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "How many times have they lost at Gillette Stadium, to any quarterback? It's probably pretty good, so that would include not just rookie quarterbacks, but any quarterback. Relative to that, I think that we're preparing Deshaun. He's working very, very hard."

Finding a good offensive balance

Watson is extremely athletic, and he'll need his speed and elusiveness against a Patriots defense that includes linebacker Dont'a Hightower and cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler.

"A very dangerous quarterback," Patricia said. "I think he's a guy who gives them a different approach to the offense. He's very calm, a real smooth guy. This guy is an experienced guy from the standpoint of he has played in some big games before.

"His ability to move, and his speed and skill set to make tacklers miss and get out into open space, is definitely at a very high level that we've got to prepare for. I think the big thing is making sure that we all understand that once the guy does turn into a full-blown runner, we have to make sure that we do a really good job of hustling and getting everybody to the ball because he is difficult to tackle."

Just ask the Bengals. They were unable to corral Watson in the open field as he broke off an electrifying 49-yard touchdown run during a 13-9 Texans win last week during his first NFL start.

Although Watson has completed 57.4 percent of his throws for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception, he's rushed for 83 yards on seven carries. He ran for a touchdown in the preseason against the Patriots, but was 3-of-10 passing for 102 yards against their backups.

"We certainly could see his poise and he's been in a lot of big games, does a good job at the line of scrimmage," Belichick said. "I thought Cincinnati gave him some tough looks and he handled those well. Very athletic, throws the ball well, accurate, can make all the throw.

"We have to do a good job of containing him and do a good job of tackling him because he's a tough guy to get down when he runs. He's not running to slide. He's running to gain yardage, so that will be a big challenge."

Watson learning on the job

What Watson hasn't seen in his limited NFL experience is a ton of defensive looks that challenge his understanding of what coverage a team is in and how they're attacking the line of scrimmage to harass him inside the pocket.

Essentially, Watson doesn't know what he doesn't know.

"I think any time you're going against a young quarterback or you're coaching up a young quarterback, what you really have to emphasize with him is they're going to hold looks for as long as they can, and at the snap of the ball is really when you have to identify what's going on, what you're seeing," Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan said. "So, it's all about talking to him about, 'Look, what they're showing you pre-snap doesn't actually mean what's going to happen after the ball's snapped.' You have to be locked into that.

"It comes from film study and then it comes from within the game, seeing what the plan is as you go through the game and getting them up to speed on that in between series. Really, the snap of the ball identification is huge."

Texans two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Johnathan Joseph has been on the other side of the equation against young quarterbacks. He's expecting special plans against Watson to account for his speed and moves.

"You've got to prepare for his legs," Joseph said. "I think everybody in the league, obviously, sees that now. I think they'll stick to their game plan. Other than that, just put a spy or something on him. That's what I would do if I was a D-coordinator."

Watson has always been a quick study, and a strong believer in himself.

He was an instant hit as a ninth-grade starter in Gainesville, Ga., and as a freshman at Clemson.

"I think that when we met him he carried himself very well," O'Brien said. "When you come into a meeting at the combine with the general manager and the head coach and various other people in the meeting room, it's a small hotel room. The prospect sits right in the middle of everybody. It's a tough environment and I thought he handled himself real well.

"I don't think that confidence for him needs to grow. He's very confident in his own ability, his own work ethic. Obviously, he doesn't know what he doesn't know and he'll learn. He'll see things for the first time every time he's out there: different coverages, different blitzes, different skill sets of different players - and he'll learn. He's a very smart guy. He learns very quickly."

Improving on the passing game

The Texans have averaged 4.8 yards per passing attempt. They average 104 net passing yards per game.

To an extent, Watson has been limited by his personnel. Against the Bengals, his three top tight ends were out with concussions. He primarily targeted Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

"Absolutely, we do not want to average under 5 yards per pass attempt," O'Brien said. "We want to eventually try to get the ball down the field. Obviously, as we move on and he gets more experience, meaning Deshaun, I think that we'll see more of that."

It's imperative that Watson protect the football. He nearly threw two interceptions against the Bengals, but the errant throws were dropped. He had an interception against the Jacksonville Jaguars nullified due to a penalty. He's been sacked seven times in six quarters working behind an offensive line missing three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown due to a contract dispute.

Rookie quarterbacks who have had more than one turnover against Belichick-coached teams have an 0-10 record.

What Watson has in terms of intangible dwarfs his modest statistics. He'll lean heavily on his attitude Sunday as he tries to match wits with some of the top defensive minds in the game.

"Confidence is big, not just for me, but for every player," Watson said. "If you have confidence, then you go out there knowing what you're doing and you can do it at a fast level and at a high tempo. If you continue to do that and build that confidence, then your potential is very, very high.

"I usually don't get nervous because football is football. This is what I love to do. It's no different than playing Little League. More people watching, of course, guys are bigger and faster, smarter, but it's still football."

Aaron Wilson is a Texans beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, joining the paper in August 2015. He was a Baltimore Ravens beat writer from 2001 to 2015, working for The Baltimore Sun, including coverage of Super Bowl XLVII, the Ray Rice domestic violence case and the careers of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Jonathan Ogden, and previously covered the team for the Carroll County Times and the Annapolis Capital.

This marks the second time the Washington, D.C. native has covered the AFC South, previously covering the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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